A Book by its Cover
by Bunnii
Summary: Naruto, an outcast at school, has an amazing talent in art, but no one sees him as anything but a freak, including Sasuke. After Sasuke becomes a live model for the art class, he sees Naruto in a new light, but can he save Naruto from the others? SasuNaru
1. Hateful Mornings

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Naruto or any other products created by Masashi Kishimoto_

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**A Book by Its Cover**

**Chapter 1**

The raven slipped his street shoes into his locker as he stepped into his indoor shoes, sighing deeply at the wave of drowsiness that threatened to take over. Sasuke was never a morning person, but he arrived at school 30 minutes before the crowd so he didn't have to deal with his annoying fangirls at his locker trying to flirt with him. His dark hair laid gracefully over his face as he bent over to slip his shoes on more comfortably. Straightening up again, he tapped his toes on the ground to adjust the shoes, as he did routinely in the morning.

It was the same thing every morning. Get up, get dressed, grab a slice of toast, rush out the door, walk briskly to school, arrive at school, and slip into his indoor shoes. Honestly, he didn't know how he managed to bear it, the same thing every morning, but it seemed to work for him.

Leisurely, Sasuke grabbed his bag that rested on the ground before he turned to leave the lockers… and that was when he saw him: Uzumaki Naruto. Today was one of the rare occasions Uzumaki came to school early, usually to sneak in and disappear to who-knows-where in the school until the first bell rang.

Uzumaki was such a loser, wearing that gaudy, orange scarf around his neck, even though the school guidelines clearly state that you are not allowed to wear anything other than the school uniform: a white, button-up, long-sleeved shirt and navy, crisp pants. The girls wore a navy, plaid skirt, and they wore a large, blue ribbon around their neck. Both genders were allowed to wear the school blazer, but most waited until winter to wear them. Since it was just the beginning of autumn, nobody wore them yet… But Uzumaki always wore that bright, hideous orange scarf.

He couldn't help but glare at the sight of the flaxen blond, the boy's hair tousled as if he just woke up. "Usuratonkachi.(1)" He growled, tilting his head up to look down at Uzumaki.

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Naruto trudged slowly towards the school gates. Usually, he loved the mornings; the crisp air, the moist, dewy grass, the calm, peaceful streets. It was as if Naruto was the last person on the world, and it was only him and nature. Even the cold, concrete streets beneath looked beautiful.

However, this morning, Naruto wasn't in his usual, happy mood. There had been a thunderstorm last night, and Naruto was scared was thunder. Of course, he would never admit this to anyone else, but he was terrified of the dark.

Sadly, the flaxen blond walked into the school, strolling towards the lockers in the front room… and that was when he saw him: Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto hated the Uchiha with a passion. That perfect face, raven hair, perfect grades, and perfect athletic abilities. Of course, that wasn't why he hated the Uchiha so much. It was the fact that the Uchiha rubbed it in Naruto's face all the time, that he looked down on Naruto so much, and how everyone loved Sasuke no matter what the raven did. It wasn't fair. Here Naruto was, just being himself and trying to stay out of everyone's way, and still- everyone hated him.

With the greatest ferocity he could muster, Naruto glared at the raven, hate filling his gaze as he spat at the raven, "Bakayaro!(2)" Then, faster then he spoke, Naruto stomped to a different isle, wishing he hadn't seen the Uchiha this morning, making his bad mood even nastier.

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**Author's note:**

{**1**}"Usuratonkachi" translates to "thin hammer," which is equivalent to saying "useless."

{**2**}"Bakayaro" means moron, idiot, a** hole… you get the drift. The familiar form, and the conugational tense implies that the person referenced is willfully being a jackass and making a spectacle of himself.

**So, this is going to be a very intimate and realistic plot about the raven and blond. They wont be OOC very much, which will make the story much more fun! It will be very accurate, and maybe you'll learn some things about Japanese culture as you read! If you have any ideas or comments about Japanese culture, or would like to correct me, go ahead! I'll really appreciate it! :)**


	2. Lookalike!

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Naruto or any other products created by Masashi Kishimoto_

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**A Book by Its Cover**

**Chapter 2**

Sasuke sat in his homeroom class silently as students shouted and laughed loudly throughout the class. Kiba, his best friend, was throwing paper planes around, barking loudly with laughter, as Chouji crunched loudly on potato chips near him. Shikamaru was doing the homework that he didn't do last night and Hinata sat quietly next to Tenten and Lee as they chatted about martial arts. Again, it was the same thing every day. Sakura and Ino gossiped loudly with a few other girls he didn't bother to learn the names of, and Shino sat silently in the corner of the room, reading a book about insects, as usual.

To his annoyance, their homeroom teacher, Kakashi, was late again today… most likely reading some porno book, but it was to be expected. Not like Kakashi could get any if he wanted to. Snickering to himself, Sasuke lifted his head at the sound on the door sliding open.

The class quickly sat down, immediately behaving themselves as if they were pure children… which were a downright lie. Anyone who could say Sakura or Kiba was innocent had to be high off their knockers or intoxicated with sake!

With a cough, Kakashi set his favorite book down on his desk and looked around the class. "Good morning class. Cold this morning isn't it?" he drawled, wishing he was home in his warm bed. Snickers and giggles filled the class at Kakashi's attempt for small talk, but Sasuke wasn't in the least amused.

As if on cue, Kiba suddenly jumped from his seat, throwing his fist in the air, shouting, "Toban!(1)" There were a few moans in the class at Kiba's over-enthusiasm, but Kakashi just sighed as he nodded, taking out the attendance sheet and sitting down at his desk. Kiba rushed up to the front of the class before he picked up the sheet and began listing out names, taking attendance.

Sasuke hadn't noticed until now, when Kiba called out Naruto's name, that the dobe was nowhere to be found. "Loser…" he muttered under his breath, looking down at his desk. Chances were, Uzumaki had fallen asleep on the roof again, or he was off in an abandoned room, doing who-knows-what.

There were a few laughs and jokes about the blond throughout the class Kiba marked him down as absent. He even heard a few "Monster" and "Freak" names being called out. He couldn't help but smirk, the idea of the loser getting into trouble making him giddy for some reason. It was about time that that dobe was taught a lesson and put back into his place. What Sasuke disliked about Uzumaki the most was how he looked at Sasuke as if he were an equal. As if an orphan like him could ever be an Uchiha's equal. It was pure mockery!

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Naruto sat comfortably on a stool in the abandoned art room as he sketched a portrait of a single daisy. His hand flowed across the page elegantly, which was a surprise, compared to how much of a klutz he was. His ebony pencil made soft lines, sketching the daisy, before he went into the details. He shaded the daisy, catching the shadows and highlights perfectly, as if it were laying right there on the paper.

Naruto had always been a skilled artist, ever since he began drawing when he was young. The old lady that lived next door to him a few years ago had been an artist, so she would teach Naruto the basics, and help him practice every day. She was a nice old woman how cared about Naruto, even though they were not even related. She would visit him every day, making sure he was healthy and well fed. Since Naruto had been an orphan since his parents died when he was four, the old lady came everyday to care for Naruto. Since nobody ever cared for him, he had never been adopted or taken in when he was orphaned.

One day, the old woman had a stroke, and she was sent to the hospital. He visited her everyday, giving her flowers and drawing her pictures, waiting for her to wake up from the coma she was in from the stroke. Three months later, she finally woke up. Naruto was so happy, telling her everything that had happened and showing her all the pictures and how much he had improved. The next day, after Naruto told her everything, and she had made sure he was doing well on his own, the old woman died in her sleep, leaving Naruto all alone.

Ever since then, Naruto had practiced everyday to become a better artist, hoping the honor the old woman who cared about him so much. He prayed that somehow, someday, he would become a famous artist, and he would be able make her proud in heaven…

Looking at the sketch in front of him, Naruto had gotten lost in the daisy he had created. Even though it was drawn so beautifully, there was something missing… it was as if, the flower that stood so proud was missing the most important part: the heart. And it was like this for every drawing. Even if Naruto could draw or sketch something exactly as he saw it, it would always be missing the love and life that looked back at him in real life. No matter how hard he tried, it was never good enough. Sighing defeatedly, Naruto set his ebony pencil down and looked out the window. It had gotten brighter since he first arrived at school.

"_Riiiing~_" the homeroom bell rang throughout the school. Naruto froze, the hair standing at the back of his neck. He had been so lost in the drawing; he had forgotten to get to class! The homeroom bell already rang, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that announcements and attendance was already being announced in class. Shoving his sketch pad and ebony pencil in his bag, Naruto dashed out the door, sliding it open with a slam before sliding it closed again. This was the third time this month he was late. Running through the halls, Naruto finally spotted his homeroom up ahead, when, "_CRASH!_"

Naruto landed back on his butt on the ground, his bag on the floor with his papers scattered around him. "Itai!" he moaned, rubbing his head with his hand as he leaned back and closed his eyes, feeling a headache forming.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" a cheerful voice said in front of him. Naruto looked up and saw raven hair and black eyes. Just as Naruto was about to shout out 'teme', Naruto noticed something shocking. The boy in front of him looked exactly like Sasuke… but it wasn't! Instead of long, emo hair and sharp features, this boy had short-cut hair and the slightest difference in features. But, other than that, it was like seeing the Uchiha himself.

"Excuse me? Are you okay?" the Uchiha-lookalike asked, kneeling down and holding out his hand to Naruto. The blond was a little taken aback, not only because the boy looked exactly like Sasuke, but also because this boy was being _nice_ to him!

"Uhh, sure…" the blond murmured, taking the raven's hand and lifting himself up. The raven then knelt back down and picked up Naruto's papers and bag, standing up to hand it back to Naruto. When Naruto reached to grab it, however, the raven stopped and looked down at the pad in front of him. "Ah! Don't look at that!" Naruto cried out, reaching forward and snatching the sketchbook out of the boy's hand.

"You like to draw?" Was it just Naruto, or did this boy have a fake smile on?

"Uh, yea… Why do you ask?" Naruto didn't exactly trust this boy, so he didn't want to say too much.

"My name is Sai. I'm a 2nd year transfer student, and I'm also to president of the art club."

"Art club?" Strange, Naruto didn't remember this school having an art club…

"Yes. I just started it this year! Our first meeting is tomorrow." Sai grinned down at Naruto, the raven being a good 4 inches taller than the blond.

"Oh… Okay…" Naruto fidgeted, feeling a little uncomfortable next to the raven that stood in front of him. Instead of continuing the conversation, Naruto silently slipped the papers and sketchbook into his bag and bowed to the upperclassmen, since Naruto was only a 1st year. "Until then, Sai-sempai!" he murmured under his breath, dashing to his homeroom without looking back. He wasn't sure what it was about that boy, but he made Naruto nervous. Maybe it was because he looked so much like the raven he hated?

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**Author's Note:**

{**1**} "**Toban**": _The school day starts with classroom management tasks, such as taking attendance and making announcements. These activities usually are conducted by the students themselves on a rotating duty schedule called "toban."_

**And so, Sai has been introduced! I'm not exactly sure where I was going with Sai, but then I got this idea! :D And I'm still deciding on who the art teacher will be… Any ideas? ;3**


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